The Church of the Redeemer

Maundy Thursday

April 17, 2003

This evening we gather to commemorate the event of the Last Supper.  This is the night prior to Jesus’ death when Jesus instituted what we now refer to as the Eucharist which we celebrate each Sunday morning.  And, for many of our Christian brothers and sisters, tonight is one of the few dates in their liturgical year that they actually celebrate the Eucharistic feast.  However, unlike many of our protestant brothers and sisters, our tradition does not use this night to focus on the institution of the Eucharist as they do and unlike other traditions, we do not call this day, “Holy Thursday” but  “Maundy Thursday”, using a derivative of the Latin word Maundatum, or in English, “mandate” to label this day.   Thus our reason for gathering tonight is different as we focus our thoughts on the last lines of tonight’s Gospel reading from St. John, “For I have set for you an example that you also should do as I have done to you.”

            But what is it that Jesus has done?  The verses that precede his mandate describe Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.  This is an act of humility that is lost on most modern Americans, but significant to the ancient Palestinian world. This was a world where members of all classes wore sandals, and the most common mode of transportation was by walking the hot dusty roads that were surrounded by barren sandy deserts.  These were dirt roads were similar to the roads we have seen on CNN and most major news carriers as we spent the last weeks watching the Iraqi war unfold before our eyes.  In ancient days, it was incumbent upon a host to see to it that one’s guests upon entering his home had the opportunity to have their feet washed. This was an act of hospitality that soothed hot, tired feet.  This was and act that provided comfort to the recipient.

            While the act of washing a guest’s feet was an expected part of common Palestinian hospitality, the act of actually washing another’s feet was beneath the most common of individuals, it was an act only to be performed by the most humble of individuals, such as the lowliest servant or youngest member of a household. It is no wonder that Peter was taken aback by Jesus gesture because in this instance it was the teacher who was attempting to serve the student.  As I tried to compare this gesture with an equivalent in modern life the only example I could think of would be having one’s boss come into your home to clean your bathroom. The washing of another’s feet was viewed as that lowly and demeaning. 

            In the end, this example of humility and service is what Jesus chose to leave with his disciples, eleven of whom will become the leaders of His Church.  Eleven of who will proclaim his message through out the known world, leading those who choose to follow by allowing themselves to serve while being served by others.  This is the mandate that we remember tonight.  This is our mandate, a call to all Christians throughout the centuries that the ministry of our Baptism is a ministry of mutuality, where one is master and servant, teacher and student.   

            With the battle for control of Iraq now over, the United States and Great Britain have an opportunity to live out Christ’s command.   In the weeks and months to come, these two nations will be working side by side to restore order to Iraq and in the rebuilding of their national infrastructure and government.  The test that we face and all the world is watching for is, are we willing to allow the newly freed people of Iraq the opportunity to determine their destiny, or will it be to the victor goes the spoils.  If it is to the victors go the spoils, then the task is made easier by maintaining a powerful military in Iraq in the years ahead and by imposing a form of governance and relationship with this country that secures our need for their oil.  If however, our mission is for true Iraqi freedom, the task becomes more complicated.  It means our relationship with the Iraqi people must change from that of a conquering master, to that of a conquering servant.  A conqueror who after order has been restored will not assume that we know what is best and allow the people of Iraq to determine their course of rebuilding by providing the materials and resources they need upon their request.  It requires that we as a nation accept that the form of governance that works so well for us in the West may not be the model that works best for the people of Iraq.  Finally, it requires that we develop a healthy respect for the Iraqi culture by accepting that we can learn as much from them as they can from us.  In essence, we must be as willing to humble ourselves and wash the feet of the Iraqi people, as Christ was willing to wash the feet of his disciples.

            I know that the argument I set forth this evening sound idealistic. It may also lead one to wonder if the United States actually took such a passive role in the rebuilding of Iraq, would Iraq once again end up in the hands of another despotic dictator.  The fact is, such an approach is risky, but then again, Christ did not free us from the laws of sin only to impose greater laws of God upon us.  Instead, he freed us from the laws of sin so he could lead us into closer relationship with God.  All during the time Jesus was washing the feet of his disciples, each of them was free to refuse his gesture of humility as Peter did.  Each of the disciples had the opportunity to turn their back on God and follow their own selfish desires as Judas did.  But that was the risk Jesus was willing to take as he began developing his community of Love, the Body of Christ and it is a risk worth taking.

            It is also a risk worth taking as a nation, as our action in the near future will make or break our future relationship with Iraq and the Arab world.  If we are willing to follow Christ’s mandate to love as he has loved us, and approach those who were once our enemies with respect as a means for building trust.  Then we can use trust as a means towards guiding the Arab world towards a form of democracy that works for them.  This is the formula Christ commands us to use when developing a deep and lasting international peace.

            Yes the argument set forth tonight is as risky as it is idealistic.  So also is most of what Christ taught, such as to love your enemy as yourselves; to turn the other cheek; to allow ourselves to die so that we may live.  While these commands may be risky and idealistic, they came from a man who willingly stretched out his arms of love on a cross so that we could be freed from the bonds of sin and death and receive the gift of eternal life with the father.

            On this night Jesus did the unthinkable by washing the feet of his Disciples and commanded us to do as he has done for us. 

 The Rev. Craig R. Swan

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